This post, reblogged here with permission, is packed with great information for nonprofit organizations that want to get the what-for and how-to about Pinterest. The social networking site offers nonprofits great opportunities to connect with their communities, donors and others in ways that are visual, personal and rich with engaging content.
This blog post was written earlier this month by Heather Mansfield, whose company DIOSA Communications specializes in social media and mobile technology. She’s on Twitter @nonprofitorgs

When Mashable first started buzzing about Pinterest in December 2011, I took a quick look at the site and thought to myself, “Shopping, crafters, and foodies. Not relevant to the vast majority of nonprofits and (whew!) not another site I need to pay attention to.” Now, just two weeks into January, I am completely addicted to pinning boards for social good on Pinterest. I haven’t been this hooked on a new social networking site since I first got on Twitter in June 2008, and based on recent data released by comScore and Hitwise, Pinterest traffic is soaring. Consequently, some of the nonprofits best known to be early adopters are pinning away too: National Wildlife Federation, Amnesty International, SFMOMA, Water.org, and the AARP. That said, my Pinterest Profile for “Nonprofit Organizations” (pinterest.com/nonprofitorgs) will only follow nonprofits. If your nonprofit starts pinning…

The idea that a professional bucket list must be the big things we want to do (or learn or be) before we kick the bucket usually leads to a list of only, well, big goals.

What about the things that might not seem bold or unique enough to boast about, but can still be life changing…

Write a book? Yep, that belongs on a professional bucket list, for sure. What about mentor a newbie at work? That’s what I call an “oyster item.”

Many accomplishments amount to a big deal, eventually. But they might not appear to be so grand when they happen. It’s as if time and other life experiences are required before the luster and worth are evident. Think of a grain of sand that slips inside an oyster’s shell. As a result, eventually, the oyster can create a valuable pearl.

Oyster items do matter. So I think they’re worth tracking and shooting for in the same way as bigger, bolder or more obvious achievements.

I decided to sit down and freshen the list of oyster items for my work life. Some, I can already cross off. Others, not yet. (I have some biggies, too. And, yes, writing a book is there. But that’s a different list and post!)

A week or so into the new year, many resolutions are already casualties. It doesn’t matter whether the targets are in the business or personal realm. Change, especially transformational change, is hard to achieve.

That’s why I think that, when undertaking a big goal, it helps first to feel a little scared, a little intimidated and a little unsure. Too much of these feelings, of course, overwhelms people and makes them shut down.

But if these feelings are absent when a major goal looms, arrogance or complacency can prevail. And in small doses, these feelings can actually motivate and strengthen resolve and ground goal seekers about the scale of the challenge and the diligence needed to succeed.

Consider these goals, for instance:

Shooting for 100 percent more followers on Twitter

Creating all new marketing materials

Keeping viewers on your website twice as long

Trying to raise $50,000

Seeking to win coverage by national media

Landing one speaking engagement a month, a marked increase

Blogging once a week

These are hard and would take significant work to achieve. They would require many steps and resources, including time and preparation, as well as dogged persistence. Are these goals scary, intimidating and the possible source of self-doubt? Absolutely. (For me, they would be.) But those feelings could help ignite action and power.

The challenge is not to let the self-doubt, intimidation and fear swell into debilitating paralysis.

It’s a delicate balance. But one that I think helps even lofty goals become reality instead of just more failed resolutions.

I’m focusing on #1 and #6 and #7 as part of my New Year’s Resolutions. It’s too soon yet to tell how I’m doing. But I am definitely a little scared, intimidated and unsure! (If you liked this post, please help me with #1 and follow me on Twitter and ReTweet the link!)